The audience was disappointed with the director’s work.
By the end of the 1980s, Georgy Danelia was already a recognized director of Soviet comedies. Spectators adored his works such as “I Walk Around Moscow”, “Afonya”, “Mimino” and “Gentlemen of Fortune”. Therefore, when the director’s next project was released in 1986, queues of people wishing to watch it accumulated outside the cinemas.
But people left the hall indignantly. After all, the tape “Kin-dza-dza!” was very different from the author’s previous works. Most viewers simply did not understand the film: instead of a comedy, Danelia this time made a philosophical dystopian parable with extravagant humor. The deep meaning of the film was perceived by many as outright nonsense.
In terms of box office receipts, the film failed miserably, taking 14th place at the box office. However, Danelia was actually ahead of his time: this is proven by the fact that “Kin-dza-dza!” Every year after the premiere it became more and more popular. Strange expressions like “pepelats”, “ku” and “kyu” became popular among the people. And viewers finally saw satire and prophetic episodes in the film.
